Imagine this scenario: You, as a solopreneur or founder of an SME (small-to-medium-sized enterprise), need specific tasks and projects done urgently but don’t have the scalable workforce or extra office space. You and your in-house staff also need to focus on your core business and maintain low costs to keep customers happy and stay competitive. Hiring and managing offshore teams is the solution. Offshore teams are human resources in remote work-enabled environments based in another country. They’re professionals who can either supplement the duties and responsibilities of your onsite teams or engage in one-off projects for your company. By shifting the workload to offshore teams, you enjoy lower overhead costs and gain access to experts that specialise in specific skills that some of your local employees may lack. The shift offshore also helps your company navigate the evolving digital economy better and offer digital transformation opportunities and services that various stakeholders, from employees to customers, expect nowadays.
What’s more, a remote work-enabled environment speeds up your company’s adoption of cloud-based tools, which make real-time and remote collaboration possible. What’s also possible is a seamless and stress-free venture into a fully remote-work-enabled environment with the help of an experienced BPO (business process outsourcing) firm. A reputable one already has the talent and resources in place, specifically remote teams that can quickly and efficiently complete your project requirements. You can then hire and manage offshore teams successfully with these tips and recommendations:
1. Select team members with strong communication skills
English is the global language of business; it’s a smart move to vet candidates with strong English language skills. When building your offshore team with the help of your outsourcing partner, make sure that you highlight the importance of strong English language skills in the job description.
2. Seek out case-study experiences and skills
During the interview process, ask offshore professionals to share specific case-study experiences. You can also provide practice tests to see if their skills are a good fit for your project requirements.
3. Take time to onboard efficiently
Onboard your offshore teams the same way you onboard your onshore teams. The sooner you set expectations and demonstrate your company’s workplace culture, vision, mission, and goals, the sooner your offshore teams start strong and succeed. Your outsourcing partner can also help you with this vital step.
4. Assign a go-to team leader
It’s a good idea to have a local manager with admirable leadership qualities who can co-manage your offshore teams. This single-point-of-contact can make the remote work-enabled environment less complicated for you. He or she can also update you regularly on your offshore team’s performance.
5. Use consistent, compatible, and secure cloud-based tools
Make sure all of your teams (onshore and offshore) use the same cloud enterprise management systems. You won’t need system translations and conversions, where mistakes often occur when you keep processes uniform and consistent. You’re also able to manage access privileges securely and keep your data and information safe and up to code.
6. Schedule regular meetings during appropriate times and acceptable time frames
Work with your go-to team leader when you need to check in with your offshore team members and discuss project updates. Provide at least a day’s notice and an agenda so everyone adequately prepares for the team alignment meetings.
7. Provide regular constructive feedback
Be timely with your feedback and balance the negative observations with positive suggestions as consistently as possible. Guide your offshore teams to develop solutions for themselves so that they’re engaged and enthusiastic about improving and succeeding.
8. Recognise achievements and milestones
Company achievements and milestones are still company successes, even if they were accomplished by professionals miles away from your head office. Every time you and your in-house staff celebrate your offshore teams’ contributions, your remote team members feel more connected to your company and its purpose. Based on studies, recognition increases employee engagement and productivity, leading to higher retention.
Whether near or far, managing offshore teams in a remote work-enabled environment is doable and feasible, especially when you follow the suggestions listed above. If you need more best practices on hiring and working with remote workers, your outsourcing partner is a valuable reference. Speaking of references, you can click here for My Cloud Crew’s definitive guide to hiring a cloud team.
